How can a weather balloon

launch help engage students

in authentic learning?

What is the atmosphere?

How do we study it?

Felix Baumgarnter’s stratospheric jump1:30 summary montage https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FHtvDA0W34I

How do we study conditions inthe

atmosphere?

GOES: geostationary

Operational Environmental SatelliteAccessed on 9.30.13 from:

http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_ddqtkOiADuo/TESByWXE06I/AAAAAAAAFA

U/GeCaNxjoifY/s1600/GOES-

13+is+America%E2%80%99s+New+GOES-EAST+Satellite.jpeg

POES: polar-orbiting

Operational Environmental SatelliteAccessed on 9.30.13 from:

http://www.automatedsciences.com/intro/intro.shtml

Animation to show POES v. GOES: http://spaceplace.nasa.gov/geo-orbits/

Unpiloted NASA

weather droneImage accessed on 9.30.13 from: http://weatherlabs.planet-science.com/weather-

forecasts/where-do-forecasters-get-data.aspx

Human free fall jumpsAccessed on 9.30.13 from: http://www.extremetech.com/extreme/137867-the-best-

photos-and-videos-of-felix-baumgartners-record-breaking-skydive

Weather

balloons

Doppler RADARImage accessed on 9.30.13 from:

http://www.uvm.edu/~swac/?Page=photogallery.html

Weather observationsAccessed on 9.30.13 from:

http://www.southcoasttoday.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070228/NEWS/702280

334&cid=sitesearch

Goals

• how atmospheric properties vary with altitude

• how radiosondes and SWAC Sondes work

• explore weather balloon launch data

• logistics of a weather balloon launch

• curriculum connections

What is the atmosphere?

• envelope of gases surrounding a planet

Graph image accessed on 3.16.2014 from: http://pattiisaacs.files.wordpress.com/2011/12/air-composition-pie-chart2.jpg

Sky image accessed on 3.16.2014 from: http://climate.nasa.gov/system/news_items/main_images/blue_sky_clouds_538px.jpg

How is the atmosphere structured?

Image accessed on 3.13.14 from:

http://ete.cet.edu/gcc/style/images/uploads/student%20pages/earth-

atmosphere-layers.jpg

Image accessed on 3.13.14 from:

http://media.web.britannica.com/eb-media/56/97256-

004-E3540AD9.jpg

What is a Radiosonde?radio – sends a radio signal sonde – device to collect physical data

• Balloon carries meteorological

instruments aloft

• Temperature, moisture, pressure,

and wind measured at many levels

• Provides snapshot of these

variables in the vertical

• This information allows

meteorologists to diagnose the

atmosphere in the vertical

Why are these measurements important?

• These observations allow us to diagnose the atmosphere similar to the snapshot that blood pressure measurements provide the doctor

• When coupled with surface weather reports and satellite data, we get a 3 dimensional view(horizontal, vertical and time) of atmosphere

• These measurements provide clues assisting the meteorologist in understanding and anticipating motion in the atmosphere

What does a vertical plot look like?

• Temperature and Dewpoint

(moisture) are plotted at

appropriate pressure levels

• Temperature values are

connected with RED line

• Dewpoint values are

connected with GREEN line.

• The closer together the

temperature and dew point,

the more moist the air is.

• Where the lines are close,

clouds are likely

Note relationship between temperature and altitude

CricketSonde Temperature

0

5

10

15

20

25

30

35

-70 -60 -50 -40 -30 -20 -10 0 10 20 30

Temperature (ºC)

Altitu

de

(k

m)

• Temperature decreases

with altitude in lower

portion of atmosphere

(Troposphere)

• Temperature increases

with altitude in upper

portion of atmosphere

(Stratosphere)

NWS Radiosonde System

• Atmospheric Measurements• Temperature, Pressure, Humidity, Wind

(indirectly)

• Air-borne Payload System -

$250• Weather balloon, Helium, Parachute,

Radiosonde (403 MHz or 1.6 GHz)

• Ground Receiving Station -

>$2000 (without computer)• 5-Element Yagi antenna and tripod, UHF

radio receiver and modem, Computer and

data collection software

• Advantages• Robust data , Automatic data collection,

Stratosphere and troposphere

measurements (30 km altitude)

• Disadvantages• High system cost , Apparently available only

for government and research use , Encoded

data requires expensive computer software

to decipher

UVM SWAC Sonde• Air-borne Payload System: -

$100

• Party balloon (Helium-filled), Model rocket

parachute, UVM CricketSonde (434 MHz)

housed in simple enclosure

• Ground Receiving Station -

$230

• 3-Element Yagi Antenna, UHF Radio

Receiver, Pen and Paper

• Advantages

• Simple data collection method provides,

real-time results, Launch most any place

or time, Low system cost, Troposphere

measurements (up to 10 km using party

balloon), Stratosphere measurements (up

to 30 km using weather balloon)

• Disadvantages

• May require technician-class amateur

(Ham) radio license to operate

SWAC Sonde

How does a SWAC Sonde

communicate temperature?

CricketSonde practiceConditions Sample # Pressure (mb)

___ ___ ___ ___

Temperature (K)

___ ___ ___

Humidity (%)

___ ___

Flight data (condensed) practiceSample # Altitude

(km)

Pressure (mb)

___ ___ ___ ___

Temperature (K)

___ ___ ___

1 0.110 1000 2 9 8

2 1.0 900 2 9 __

3 3.0 700 2 __ __

4 4.2 600 __ __ __

5 5.6 500 __ __ __

6 9.1 300 __ __ __

7 10.4 250 __ __ __

8 11.8 200 __ __ __

9 __ __. __ 150 __ __ __

10 __ __. __ 100 __ __ __

0

5

10

15

20

200 210 220 230 240 250 260 270 280 290 300

Alt

itu

de

(km

)

Temperature (K)

Temperature (K) vs. Altitude (km)To convert pressure to altitude,

students can interpolate using

the graph above or they can use

an online calculator such as the

one on NOAA:

http://www.srh.noaa.gov/epz/?n

=wxcalc_pressurealtitude

0

5

10

15

20

200 210 220 230 240 250 260 270 280 290 300

Alt

itu

de (

km

)

Temperature (K)

Temperature (K) vs. Altitude (km)

Troposphere

Stratosphere

Tropopause

Data exploration

• Using data from today’s forecasted sounding,

you will:

In Excel:

1. Graph sounding (temperature and altitude) data

2 Determine the altitude of the bottom of the tropopause

3. Calculate ascent rate

Measure the circumference of a party balloon

Measure the mass of the payload

4. Calculate flight time to reach tropopause

In Google Earth:

5. Map where the balloon would travel if launched today from

UVM and your school

Discussion of data exploration

• Where would your balloon end up?

Curriculum connections

Colchester H.S. example• Studied structure, function, composition of atmosphere

• Design challenge (payload, parachute, & “if found” letter)

• Data collection

• Data analysis & communication through formal scientific poster

Questions and Closing

Image accessed on 3.16.2014 from: http://www.nasa.gov/images/content/407252main_image_1529_946-

710.jpg